In His Bed (18+)

Chapter 42

After Spring Break, April sped past, seeming to accelerate as prom drew closer and closer.

Days blurred, bleeding into one another until they became a formless mass of school, work, and Jason.

Before I could blink, it was the Sunday before prom, and I was standing in my grandparents' basement, trying on my dress at the final fitting.

Staring into the full-length mirror on the wall, I blinked slowly, not quite believing what I was seeing.

The mass-produced, off-the-rack garment I'd picked up on a whim had transformed into something more. With the added straps and the tightened seams, the awkward bulges and wrinkles were gone, and it fit me like it had been made for me.

"Wow," I breathed.

Grandma smiled, proud of her handiwork. "You look amazing, sweetie!"

With my eyes on my reflection, I couldn't deny it. The sleek silhouette of the dress hugged my body like a lover, and the neckline drew attention to the soft curves of my cleavage.

With the right hair and makeup, I might even outshine Faith...

In the mirror, I watched as my lips curved into a wicked smile.

"So, do you like it?"

Turning around, I beamed, "It's perfect."

Grandma sniffled, shaking her head slowly, "I just can't believe my little Hailey's all grown up!"

Moving down from the step-stool I was standing on, I walked over to her, hugging her against me. "I'll never be able to thank you enough-"

"Oh, hush." Rubbing her hand along my spine, she said, "Just make sure you send me plenty of pictures of the final look, alright?"

I nodded as a door closed upstairs.

My mother's voice called out, "Mom?"

"Down here, Hun!"

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and moments later my mother and grandpa appeared, still soiled from their work in the garden.

Mom stopped short, taking in my appearance, "Oh, my goodness – Hailey, you look wonderful!"

Twirling, I grinned, "Isn't it pretty? Grandma's an absolute magician."

Grandpa smiled, "It's not just Grandma's sewing," sighing, he met my gaze, "It only seems like yesterday you were learning to walk, and now look at you..."

There was a wistful longing in his eyes that dimmed my giddy joy. As he beheld me, I could almost hear him wondering how many milestones we had left to share.

Smoothing my hand down the bodice of my dress, I looked back at the mirror. "Well, all I have to figure out now is how to do my hair, and I think I'm set."

"About that..."

Turning, I glanced at my mother, noting the mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Hmm?"

She smirked, "I set up some hair and nail appointments on Saturday and switched shifts with Trish."

Surprised delight raced through me, "Really?!"

Mom nodded, "My baby only gets one senior prom."

Overcome by a warm wave of gratitude, I almost flung myself into her arms.

"Ah!" Grandma caught my arm, "you aren't hugging anybody until that dress is safely back in its bag." Tutting, she shooed Mom and Grandpa back upstairs, turning me and reaching for my zipper, "Honestly; I didn't do all this work just for you to get it muddy before you even reach the dance."

Chastened, I grinned, "Sorry, Grandma."

The next day, I was still floating on cloud nine as I stood in the bathroom, waiting while Faith primped in the water-spotted mirror.

Underclassmen swirled around us, jostling for the remaining sink space in a hurried rush.

Even so, none of them were foolish enough to bother Faith.

They know better...

"-can't even believe it. It's like they're trying to ruin everything for me."

I mimicked interest while internally debating different hairstyles – after all, now that I was going to have my hair professionally done, I wasn't limited by my own amateur skills.

Updo? Definitely an updo.

Sierra applied a swipe of rosy lip gloss and shrugged, "They're trying to be supportive. That's got to count for something, right?"

Faith groaned, "The last thing I want at prom is for my parents to be watching my every move – and did it have to be all three of them?!"

What?

Glancing over, I stopped pretending and began actually listening.

"Like, it's bad enough that Mom and Paul signed up to be chaperones, but Dad was supposed to be out of town on work – why did he have to volunteer?"

A prickling shiver swept over my skin.

Jason's going to be at prom?